The stranger is John, an American visiting Kazakhstan as part of an exchange programme for "medical expertise". He meets the local people who lead a free and simple life. With his new friends, John will live through a series of adventures. He spends four very strange days with a friend and colleague. Back at his hotel, John hears that his friend has died in mysterious circumstances, but people say he had in fact been dead for several days.
Cinematography
Bleak, beautiful Kazakh landscapes that swallow humans whole.
Direction
Suleymenov's patient, dreamlike unease creeps under your skin.
Director
Timur Suleymenov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Kazakhstan's first years of independence, the film reflects post-Soviet identity anxiety through an American's disoriented gaze.
Director Suleymenov never made another feature; this remains a singular phantom in Central Asian cinema history.
KZ
